Preamble Good afternoon everyone. After six weeks and 48 matches - and yes, it does feel like longer - we've finally reached the nitty-gritty stages of this World Cup. Sri Lanka are the bookies' favourites for this first semi-final, but don't discount New Zealand's raggedy-looking biffers and bashers. So who will win? Don't ask me - I predicted India to win the tournament - but it will almost certainly come down to two things: the battle between Sanath Jayasuriya and Shane Bond, and how New Zealand's batsmen handle Murali.

Preamble Hello. One of the better games of last year's fitba World Cup was the third-place play-off between Portugal and Germany, an end-of-term party in which, for once, the players actually looked like they were enjoying themselves. This is the cricket World Cup's equivalent: a fifth-placed play-off between West Indies and England.